When pipelines have been in operation for multiple decades, cracks in infrastructure can result in environmental catastrophes such as oil spills. These can take great time and expense to rectify. In older pipelines, defects like hook cracks in the long-seam area often form the weakest part of the entire structure and should be repaired as soon as possible to avoid serious damage to the surrounding environment. Ultrasonic and radiographic inspection methods can be used to evaluate the structural integrity of large pieces of pipeline infrastructure; throughout their volume. Such inspections can lead to diagnoses which offer opportunity for rapid remediation of faulty pipeline parts.
Tebco’s A range of ultrasonic and radiographic non-destructive testing methods can be purchased for use in pipeline inspections. High-quality ultrasonic and radiographic NDT equipment use a beam of high-frequency vibrations or radioactive particles to produce a three-dimensional image of a pipeline. The 3D image displays any defects in the pipeline on a digital screen observed by an operator.
Why Repair Pipeline Cracks?
Defects within a pipeline can eventually result in structural disruption and leakage of pipeline contents. Issues like this tend to occur in highly remote areas with terrible environmental impacts spread across significant areas of land. Cleaning up such disasters takes years and results in significant expense to companies which are responsible for oil pipelines.
What Types of Damage Do Pipelines Sustain?
Potential hazards which may impeach the safety of above-water pipes include manufacturing defects, such as laminations, inclusions and lack of seam-weld fusion, as well as gouges and dents. Such defects are most readily identifiable using ultrasonic non-destructive testing.
Why Choose Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing To Analyse Pipelines?
Ultrasonic testing methods can be used to evaluate offshore pipelines efficiently. Essentially, an ultrasonic baseline inspection helps operators understand the present condition of a pipeline, to enable root-cause analysis later in the pipeline’s life cycle and to assess any leaks generated during manufacturing. With new oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico promising to increase oil yields in the region by 10%, ultrasonic non-destructive testing must be used to maximise economic production and minimise costs involved with the transportation of oil in this region.
The challenge of pipeline inspection demands high-accuracy, fast and reliable equipment to identify areas of concern. Tebco’s Ultrasonic non-destructive testing equipment can be used effectively to identify anomalies within a pipeline structure and prevent environmental disaster before it occurs.
Contact NDT Australia
If you are looking for non-destructive testing equipment to inspect the pipeline infrastructure used in your operation, check out NDT Australia’s online store. We supply a range of ultrasonic NDT equipment. We are open for business Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm. Contact our friendly sales team on (02) 9524 0558 to ask any questions or to place an order for any of the products listed on our online store.
